Monday, 21 February 2011

Friday was grey, wet, cold and altogether not looking very promising. I wandered up to Rye Meads RSPB reserve again, more out of a sense of not wishing to waste the day, rather than any hope of making great images. The morning confirmed my fears, and after a chilly lunch I started to head back to the car. I stopped at the Draper hide on the way back and suddenly everything changed.

In some indefinable way the light improved. It was still overcast, but just bright enough to yield a handful of lovely washed-out high key images. More of these later, perhaps. Because the highlight was still to come. A little grebe decided to hunt directly in front of the hide. These fluffy little birds have long been favourites of mine, and this is the closest I've ever been to one.

At one point I scared it with the lens of the camera, but it returned after a crash dive and afforded me a few more shots. And to think I could so easily have made it a duvet day....